Speed-changing mechanism.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

No. 812,388. l

P. SHANNON.

SPEED CHANGING MEGHANISM.

APILIGATION FILED JULY 5.1904.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 5 1904 z SHENTSLSHBBT 2.

PATENT OFFICE.

PETER SHANNON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPEED-CHANGING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed July 5. 1904. Serial N0. 215,262'

T0 al?, whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, PETER SHANNON, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed- Changing Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to speedchanging mechanisms, and has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and eflicient arrangement of a series of intermediate trains of gear-wheels between gear-wheels on the driving and driven shafts of themechanism, each of such trains of gears having a different speed of rotation and any one train being adapted to be moved into operative engagement with the gear-wheel of the driven shaft to impart the desired speed of rotation to the same, all as will hereinafter more fully appear and be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the present mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation at line Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view at line x Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section at line x2 x2, Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the driving-shaft, and 2 the driven shaft, supported in parallel alinement in bearings on a suitable carrying-frame.

3 is a gear-wheel keyed or otherwise iixedly secured on the driving-shaft 1 and constituting the prime mover for the trains of variablespeed gear-wheels of the present mechanism.v

4 is a gear-wheel keyed or otherwise Xedly secured to the driven shaft 2 and adapted for operative engagement with the trains of variable-speed gear-wheels hereinafter described. Such gear-wheel 4 may be a single wheel having a wide face or, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, may be formed by a counterpart pair of wheels arranged in separated relation where lightness of construction is desired.

5 represents a pair of carrying-heads for the trains of gears hereinafter described. Such heads are journaled in concentric relation to the shaft 1 in any usual manner and adapted to be manually adjusted in a circular path around the axis of the shaft 1 aforesaid to bring any one of the trains of variablespeed gear-wheels into operative engagement with the gear-wheel 4 of the driven shaft 2,

as hereinafter more fully set forth. Such manual adjustment may be attained by any usual and suitable mechanism without departing from the spirit of this part of the present invention. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings for attaining such manual adjustment of the carrying-heads, 6 is a sprocket-wheel attached to one of said heads, and 7 is a chain connection adapting said sprocket-wheel for operative engagement with a manually-adjustable wheel or capstan of any usual construction and arranged within convenient reach of the operator.

8 represents an intermediate series of journal-shafts carried by the heads 5 in non-concentric relation to the axis of the drivingshaft 1.

9 represents a series of idler-gear wheels carried by the journal-shaft 8 and meshing in common with the gear-wheel 3 of the driving-shaft 1 to receive motion therefrom.

10 represents an outer series of journalshafts carried by the 'heads 5 in concentric relation to the axis of the driving-shaft 1.

11 represents a series of gear-wheels carried by the journal-shafts 10 and meshing with and receiving motion from the idler gear-wheels 9 aforesaid. In the present construction each of said series of gear-wheels 11 will have a different diameter from the others, so that each will receive a diiferent speed of rotation from the gear-wheel 2 of the driving-shaft 1 through the intermediate idlergear wheels 9.

12 represents a series of gear-wheels carried by the shafts 10 in a manner free from any engagement with the idler-gear wheels 9 and having a uniform diameter, so that in the manual adjustment of the carrying-heads 5 they may be successively brought into operative engagement with the gear-wheel 4 of the driven shaft 2 to transmit the desired variable speed thereto from the driving-shaft 1 of the mechanism.

With a view to the attainment of a strong and compact construction of the mechanism a material part of the present invention consists in arranging the gear-wheels in an alternated relation to one another and lapping past each other without interference, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, and in connection with such alternated relation of suchgear-wheels to make use of a single idler-gear 9, having the required Width of lface in the transmitting IOC IIO

motion from the gear-wheel 3 of the drivingshaft 1 to adjacent pairs of said gear-wheels l1 in their alternated relation, as above set forth. In like manner the series of gearwheels l2 will have a corresponding alternated relation, as shown.

While the drawings illustrate an arrangement in which the carrying-heads 5 are adapted to have an adjustment approximating an entire revolution of the same, so as to afford a maximum range in the variation of the speed transmitted, it is within the province of this part of the present invention to reduce the amount of such circular adjustment with a corresponding reduction in the number of trains of gear-wheels carried and with a like reduction in the extent of variation in the speed transmitted.

The position of the mechanism in its normal inoperative condition is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, with the Cfear-wheel 4 free from engagement with any of the series of gear-wheels 12. In use the carrying-heads 5 are adjusted manually in a circular direction to bring the particular gear-wheel l2 having the required speed of rotation into operative engagement with the gear-wheel 4 of the driven shaft 2 to impart the desired rotation to such shaft.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a speedchanging mechanism, the combination of a driving-shaft, a driven shaft in parallel relation thereto7 gear-wheels carried by said shafts, a carrying-head capable of circular adjustment with relation to the axis of the driving-shaft, and a series of trains of variable-speed gears carried by said head and comprising a series of outer gear-wheels having variable diameters, intermediate idlergear wheels operatively connecting said outer gear-wheels with the gear-wheel of the drivingshaft, and a series of outer gears of uniform diameter moving in unison with the series of outer variable gears aforesaid, and adapted to be successively brought into operative enj gagement with the gear-Wheel of the driven shaft, substantially as set forth.

2. In a speed-changing mechanism, the combination of a driving-shaft, a driven shaft in parallel relation thereto, gear-Wheels carried by said shafts, a carrying-head capable of circular adjustment with relation to the aXis of the driving-shaft, and a series of trains of variable-speed gears carried by said head and comprising a series of outer gear-wheels having variable diameters and arranged in alternated relation to each other, a series of idler-gear wheels each of which operatively connect a pair of said outer gear-Wheels with the gear-wheel of the driving-shaft, and a series of outer gears of uniform diameter moving in unison with the series of outer variable gears aforesaid and adapted to be successively brought into operative engagement with the gear-wheel of the driven shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. In a speed-changingmechanism, the combination of a driving-shaft, a driven shaft in parallel relation thereto, gear-wheels carried by said shafts, a carrying-head capable of circular adjustment with relation to the axis of the driving-shaft, and a series of trains of variable-speed gears carried by said head and comprising a series of outer gear-wheels having variable diameters and arranged in alternated relation to each other, a series of idler-gear wheels each of which operatively connect a pair of said outer gear-wheels with the gear-wheel of the driving-shaft and a series of outer gear-wheels of uniform diameter and arranged in alternated relation, said series of gears having movement in unison with the series of outer variable gears aforesaid and adapted to be successively brought into operative engagement with the gear-wheel of the driven shaft, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st day of July, 1904. 1

l PETER SHANNON.

Witnesses:

ROBERT BURNS, M. I-I. HOLMES. 

